Aeroplane



J. EBERT.

AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION men APR. 11. I920.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

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Jbiuz ZZerZ INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

J. EBERT.

AEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 17, I920.

. 3 934 Patented Aug. 1 0, 1920.

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II/7235 mvmm INVENTOR. BYMWW ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN EBERT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. 7

AEROPLANE.

Patented Aug. 10, 1920.

Application filed Apri1 17, 1920. Serial No. 374,635.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for controlling the flight of aeroplanes, and its object is to provide a novel and improved hand-lever mechanism by which a complete control of the machine is effected as will be described in detail hereinafter.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in said drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine showing the application of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the control lever assembly, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on of Fig. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate an aeroplane of the conventional monoplane type having a main plane 5 extending from opposite sides of its hull 6 and carrying ailerons 7. At the rear end of the hull is a vertical rudder 8 and on opposites of the latter are horizontal rudders 9.. These parts are all constructed in the usual manner, and as nothing is claimed with respect thereto, a detailed descri tion thereof is not necessary. The ailerons and the rudders 8 and9 are controlled by single hand lever 10 connected thereto by an arrangement of cables to be presently described.

The hull or body 6 of the machine, in front of the operators seat, carries a frame composed of a base 11, corner posts 12 rising from the latter, and front and rear cross bars 13 and 14, and side cross bars 15 and 16 connecting the corner posts. The hand lever 10 is fulcrumed at the bottom to a yoke 17 to swing fore and aft, and the yoke is pivoted to a support 18 to swing laterally or sidewise of the machine, said support being mounted on the base 11. It will therefore be seen that the hand lever can be swung fore and aft and also sidewise of the machine.

In the cross bars 13 and 14 are longitudinal slots 19 and 20, respectively, and in the cross bars 15 and 16 are longitudinal the line 4--4 slots 21 and 22 respectively. The hand lever 10 is operatively connected to two cross arms 23 and 24, respectively, arranged at right angles to each other. The cross arm 23 extends from opposite sides of the hand lever and has its outer ends equipped with blocks 25 and 26, respectively, the .former seating slidably in the slot 21, and the latter in the slot 22. The cross arm 24 extends fore and aft of the hand lever and has blocks 27 and 28, respectively, at its ends, the former seating in the slot 19, and the latter in the slot 20. It will therefore be seen that when the hand lever 10 is swung fore and aft, the blocks 25 and 26 are slid correspondingly in the slots 21 and 22, and when the hand lever is swung over to either side, the blocks 27 and 28 are correspondingly slid in the slots lever affects the cross arm 23 only, whereas the lateral movement of the hand lever affects the cross arm 24 only. The slide blocks are-prevented from slipping out of the slots by guard strips 30 in the latter.

The movement of the slide blocks 25, 26, 27 and 28 is transmitted to the ailerons 7 and the rudders 8 and 9 by means of cables or other suitable flexible connections, said blocks having eyes 31 or other suitable de vices for attachment of the cables.

The ailerons 7, as usual are operated by raising one and lowering the other, or vice versa, and this is done by cables 32 connected to the slide block 27 and leading to the respective ailerons, they being guided thereto by guide pulleys on the main plane 5, and on the cross bar 13 and the front corner posts 12. The arrangement of the guide pulleys on the main plane is clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the arrangement of the other guide pulleys is the same as that on the cross bar 14 and the rear corner posts 12. The ailerons are therefore adjusted by swinging the hand lever 10 sidewise, and when swung to the right the right aileron is tilted up and the left one is tilted down, whereas when the hand lever is swung to the left the left aileron is elevated and the ri ht one is lowered.

in order that the adjustment of the ailerons 7 may be simultaneous with that of the rudder 8 as it is customary to have one or the other of the ailerons dip while the 7 machine is steered laterally, the cables 33 controlling said rudder 8 are connected to slide block 28. A turn to the left is made by sliding the block 28 in that direction,

, being understood that the slide block 27 is operated at the same time to adjust the ailerons Suitable guide pulleys are also provided for the cables 33.

The horizontal rudders 9 are operated by cables 34 and 85 connected to the slide blocks 2-5 and 26 after passing over suitably located guide pulleys. The cables 34 elevate the rudders 9, and the cables 35 lower the same. '7 The first operation is eifected by sliding the blocks 25 and 26 forwardly and the second operation by sliding said blocks rearwardly, the cables being so connected and guided that these two operations draw them in opposite directions. a

It will be seen from the foregoing that the machine can be easily controlled, the

a various controlling devices being operated comprising a support, a hand lever fulcrumed to the support to swing fore and cross members. in front of and to the rear of the hand lever and also at the sides thereof, slide blocks mounted in the slots of the cross members and having connection with the elements to be actuated, across arms connecting the fore and aft slide block's, cross arms connecting the side slide blocks, and an operative connection between the hand lever and the cross arms for inde pendent actuation of the cross varms.

2. A control mechanism for aeroplanes comprising a support, a hand lever fulcrumed to the support to swing fore and aft and also sidewise, longitudinally slotted cross members in front of and to the rear of the hand lever and'also at the sides thereof, slide blocks mounted in the slotsof the cross members and having connections with the elements to be actuated, cross arms connecting the fore and aft slide blocks, cross armsconnecting the side slide blocks, and an operative connection between the hand lever and the cross arms, said connection being slots in the hand lever through which the cross arms pass.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. JOHN EBERT. 

